Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road brief demo

[vicnavarro]

Congratulations on your videos. Last night I went to see Sir Elton John at Rock in Rio. It was the 3rd time (once in the States and twice here in Rio de Janeiro). I want to learn how to play the piano, specially Sir Elton John songs. You are a great inspiration for me to learn. Your lessons are a gift for us. Thanks for helping people fulfilling some of their dreams. PS: I am buying an Yamaha NP 30. Is it a good digital piano for beginners?

[PhuckmeAgain]

Hiya John<

From the good old UK.

Just wondered as you are probably the best Piano Teacher on You Tube would it be possible to do one of my long time favourites as a Tutorial as not only would I like to learn it, but to also hear you play it.

Please please please can you make a Tutorial of "A Song For Guy" By Elton John.

Cheers.

[pianojohn113]

@PhuckmeAgain Yes, "A Song For Guy" is one of my favorites of his. If or when the copyright stuff gets worked out with Elton's publishers, I'll upload that one.

[PhuckmeAgain]

@pianojohn113 Thank you again John for a detailed reply,

I think this copyright stuff is really stupid sometimes, it's not like your making money out of uploading the video's you do.

If think it's a good thing if people want to learn a certain song, track, or what ever you call it.

I really don't see a problem, but I have seen a really good improvisation of a song for guy and it was deleted.

Think that's sad. :(

[wesselpinballwizard]

@pianojohn113 That's great, it's a amazing song. Is it hard to play? I hope you'll make a tutorial.

Regards Wessel

[pianojohn113]

@wesselpinballwizard It's an uptempo song, so there are some tricky sections on the chorus.. not too bad, though.

[wesselpinballwizard]

Great job! Could you make a tutorial for I'm Still Standing?

[ScatmanJoeButt]

For a second, i thought it was really Elton John

[MelRules911]

AMAZING!!! I LOVE U!!! no jk :P but u r a GREAT piano player. if u were a famous piano player u'd make MILLIONS! :)

[culleninpoway]

I could listen all day long

[Meatballer]

thanks pianojohn for posting this song....i learned alot from watching your videos!!!

thanks mentor!!!

[TheRockBenedict]

great job man. You should consider playing at like some club or something. This would be very enjoyable background music to eat to :)

[ChocolateChipPizza]

Great job! I love your videos; I've found them really helpful.

Have you ever considered posting Crocodile Rock?

Cheers

[pianojohn113]

Thanks! Yes, Crocodile Rock is a fun song to play too, but it sounds better with a band around it, rather than on solo piano, I think. I may post a tutorial on it some day, though.

[lintlikr]

thank you for posting these great videos. I had fun learning this song the benny and the jets solo. If you decide to do another elton john video i recomend "I guess that's why they call it theblues". That is my favorite song. But anyways thanks again for posting these vids

[garuto101]

Love your playing! one day I hope to be as good as you and if I keep following your tutorials maby I might

[pianojohn113]

Thanks, I appreciate it! Remember, you only have to be good enough to entertain yourself and enjoy what you're playing. If you are your own biggest fan, then you've succeeded. :-)

[jarizah]

Great job once again. This might be the next project after I figure out the rest of the Piano Man. Haven't started to learn the solo part yet and the "la la di di da" part is under work. But you might recognize it as made by Billy Joel. Piano is difficult instrument, for me atleast, but fun to play. Thanks again for posting this brilliant song.

[1979saxman]

@jarizah the "la la di da" parts of piano man are the minor chord parallels for the descending major chords that were part of the tune.

[Pianoyappa]

Thank you so much for all the toutorials you've been making! I'm 15years old and I love the piano. Probably you would be my first and only piano teacher I will ever have.

To make music, or any other art into business, would be one of the biggest and most selfish crime (I think) that could be commited, besides the system of the society in which we live in. Thank you for promoting the arts!

[yamagouchy69]

Wow dude. So that means all of somebody's successes in life cannot be congratulated with a little money? I think a musician deserves money for his musical success. It'll be only fair to acknowledge his/her achievements.

[alaskaaksala123]

I got the origanal music by Elton and that's not how it says to play it. But that is Very good

[54spiritedwill54]

WOW!!!

That WAS AMAZING!!!

[HarRamseys]

Absolutly Brilliant My Friend

Very Well Played :)

I downloaded this clip and watch it on my DVD in Australia buddy

:) Har

[trwmodela]

How do you download videos?

[PINTOFLAGER3]

One of my favourite songs. You play amazingly well. Plus your instructions are great. Thanks for doing this.

[tyleryesta1]

can you post a video on honky cat? can't find it anywhere on youtube. you are the best piano teacher i've seen on the net.

[lovelovemeee]

how do you play that part after the second yellow brick road part...(the piano)

ive got the whole song except for that part

[shcorporation]

Brilliant John. I just posted my own version, take a look John, and anyone else who wants to judge me! Thanks for this one John, looking forward to the next set!

[shayneinsc]

fucking awesome

[robdamiano76]

your videos are great.you play awesome. i was wondering, could you make a video of you playing Valotte ?

[katorivers]

felicitaciones man!!

toca ud muy bien...

que bueno encontrar este demo...asi la podré practicar...haber si me la aprendo....

saludos desde chile

[dan13g]

Incredible, I usually get mad when I hear someone play a good song because I know they are better than me, but this is fantastic! I could easily mistake you for Elton himself.

[forsburgers]

John, lots of positive comment here and all of it well deserved. I particularly like the way you define and illustrate the pieces for us. I play by ear and can't read music written on the page,however I CAN name the notes on the keyboard and your tutorials have been a revelation. I've found more joy in my piano in the 5 weeks since I discovered you here than in years of trying to understand theory and repeat scales -and you have such a friendly and encouraging way of conveying your knowledge.

[jameswp266]

Thank you so much for all your tutorials. :) Very very much appreciated. Your a fabulous player too!

[josettacay]

You are a fabulous player. I wish I could do what you do, figure out a piece by ear. Maybe one day, yes? 'Til then, I'm having a blast trying to learn your stuff.

[mission2marsden]

where did you learn this one from

[Pianokid37]

himself!

[Pianokid37]

I'd like to learn tom lehrers work.

[magicman2001]

I just wish there was someone like you who could explain and break down the great Tom Lehrers work. As its not exactly contemporary, mainstream, there are some great syncopated tunes, and some very funny classic pieces of music with just him and piano written back in the early fifties. I would love to learn so if you know of someone, ask them if they can upload on youtube as well.

[pianojohn113]

Hey, thanks for your kind comments! I learned Tom Lehrer's stuff way back in college, where I used to perform his songs.. Most people hadn't heard of him, although they knew many of his songs. In fact, I still use his style of playing on many songs, which I always thought was rather unique.

If enough people would want them, I may be able to post a tutorial or two on his music.. I'd have to figure out an easy-to-understand way of teaching it first, though! :-)

[HeyBBizdaGtrMn]

Yeah! I would like to learn Tom Lehrer's "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park."

[magicman2001]

there are so many people who want to play popular artists and you are really giving them more than a chance with your style of breaking down the most complicated and simple tunes. Its very Generous of you to say the least to spend your time teaching advanced,beginners as well as the tone deaf great rock classics.

Ive been playing for a while and Ive benefited as well from your videos which are broken down and explained in a succinct manner.

[triath5147]

Thanks for teaching me this song, I've wanted to play it for a long time. Could you do a tutorial on "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John?

[pianojohn113]

I think that one may be on the next set of videos, but if not, it should be onthe one after that.. I need to get through this list a little more quickly!

[Pianokid37]

Im learning this song right now from you. It's difficult but its very fun!!!

THANX!!!

[pianojohn113]

It is fun, you're right! Enjoy!

[mccartney7890]

cool =P

do you know "crocodile rock" ?=??

[pianojohn113]

I do know that song, but haven't played it for a while.

[Kakarot21591]

Yeeeah... I learned this by ear, but it's like 10% of what you played. I notice that you play a lot of notes at once. My hands aren't able to do that yet... How long did it take you to develop that technique?

[pianojohn113]

I developed that technique back in the early '80s when I was in college. I didn't have enough instruments to fill the songs I was playing so I had to add as many notes as I could to get the sound I wanted. After a while it just got to be a habit!

[ESB1138]

Cool...so have you ever written a song? If so please post them!

[pianojohn113]

I wrote two songs back in college many years ago, and they were mediocre at best. Everything else I've tried to write comes out sounding like something that's already been written. I eventually figured out that I should stick to playing the songs instead of writing them. :-)

[TDogg820]

that was great! im learning that song from the Elton John Keyboard Book and the notes are sort of different than wat u were playing? do u play this song by ear or did u learn it as Elton wrote the song??

either way you are an awesome pianist! i'd love to be able to play like that.

[pianojohn113]

Thanks! I learned the song many years ago, so the notes are probably a little different than in the Keyboard Book (which from what I've seen is a great reference)... I think between the video and the book you'll probably get the most accurate version.

[Pianokid37]

WOW!!!

That WAS AMAZING!!!

[pianojohn113]

Thanks!  :-)

[JasT1972]

The only way to describe this is absolutely amazing! I really do love hearing someone play a solo on the piano; an amazing performance of a great song!

[pianojohn113]

Thanks very much, I appreciate it!  Glad you liked it.

[westfield90]

This is absolutely amazing

[pianojohn113]

Thanks westfield, I appreciate it

[KDET10]

This is exactly the type of teaching that makes me learn. My friend taught me "Martha My Dear" in the same way you did, and thats how i pick it up. I cant read music....just show me what chords to play and i`ll get it haha. Thanks again, great job

[pianojohn113]

Thanks! Glad it worked for you.

[sawellesley]

more great work!!!

[pianojohn113]

Thanks very much!

[cyborlog]

Your welcome! And if I listen closely, I think I can hear your beautiful voice, just like Elton's, under the piano strokes...:-)

[pianojohn113]

You're right, it's under there somewhere! Gotta sing it a little bit.. :-)

[Cheftodd67]

Thanks John for the tutorial. Looking forward to more Elton John songs.

[pianojohn113]

More coming soon, just waiting for the overhead camera to get fixed. :-)

[cyborlog]

Not bad!!! nice to hear one of my favorites in solitary piano form...

[pianojohn113]

Thanks! This one really is fun to play.

[snapshots101]

great tutorial. one of my favorites of elton. your such a blessing to have on youtube. keep up the great work and thanks.

[pianojohn113]

It's an Elton classic, and I'm glad it was helpful to you. Thanks for the kind words!

[DaPianistwitBass]

Do you think that you could also put up a tutorial about how to sing this song while playing it? I can already play it but I now also want to be able to sing it. Also, where do the pedals go? I use the sostenuto pedal heavily in this song. I use it more than the damper pedal.

[ViolentRiC]

I thought you were joking there. What do you mean by a tutorial on how to sing the song while playing it? Surely just listen to the man himself and then, if you have the ability, sing along just like he did. Don't mean to be rude, I'm just baffled.

[pianojohn113]

My voice has trouble with many of the higher register songs, so I try to keep some of the singing on the videos to a minimum! lol... The pedal is used more heavily in this song than in others. I keep the sostenuto pedal down when I go from a root chord to the same chord with just a change in bass note (slash chord). Otherwise, it changes with most every chord change.

[CoBrA2168]

Nice...the tutorial helps. It will definitely take practice though. I'm working on other songs now, but I'm hoping to play this next, I'm thinking the tut will help a bunch.

[pianojohn113]

It does take some practice, you're right. Elton John songs have many chord changes and "slash chords" which sometimes change over single measures. The tutorial should help, though. Good luck with it!

[CoBrA2168]

Do you have any sheet music to go along with this?

[pianojohn113]

Not something in electronic form, but I do know it's on several digital music websites.

[CoBrA2168]

Ah, I really want some sheet music to go along as it really helps out. If you could get it for me, it would be amazing!

[pianojohn113]

I'll check around for you and see if I can find it somewhere.

[CoBrA2168]

I think my friend can get it for me. I've already been through Google with no luck. Thanks though.

[alberzeta]

excellent. ;)

[pianojohn113]

Thanks very much!